Home: the quest to belong by Jo Swinney My rating: 5 of 5 stars I first heard that Jo was writing this book last year, when she saw a blogpost I'd written for Amy http://www.amyboucherpye.com/2016/05/.... I've read this book mostly on the train, and have really enjoyed the mix of…

Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture by Cele C. Otnes My rating: 4 of 5 stars There's plenty to think about in this book about the significance of the British Royal Family to British culture, and just how much that converts into both social/emotional loyalty, but particularly cold,…

The story of Keep Calm and Carry On is largely one of the 21st century, rather than of the Second World War, when it was produced. Owen Hatherley uses the poster as a hook as he investigates the 'nostalgia' we have for 1940s, and use it to legitimise contemporary austerity. Hatherley…

4/6: Nostalgia http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04n31cr We live in a world where the nostalgia for the past now permeates our present. With online trends like 'Throw Back Thursdays', apps like Timehop and platforms which gives you the tools to make your digital image look like it was taken with an analogue camera, the…

I'm fascinated by graphics, especially those that emerged in the 1930s and 1940s, so this story in the Times Higher Education caught my attention: If you could have one superpower, what would it be? This is a popular question in team-building exercises. Flight? Invisibility? Super strength? Would you want to be…

I started reading this before I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and have finished it the week after surgery. It's been a beautifully gentle book that I've carried along to several sessions sat in a waiting room! I've followed Katharine...

I enjoyed this book, and found it gave hopeful insights into what to expect following the authors desire to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I like her practice of seeking 'silver linings' every day rather than 'woe is me', a...

I've had enough concentration today to actually read - having had a mastectomy last week. This book is written by a friend - bought it earlier this year not realising how resonant it would be. I have found it really helpful to read - rec...